Raise a stein at area Oktoberfest celebrations

Raise a stein or two during the Oktoberfest celebration at the Tremont Tap House on Sept. 28.

Featured beers served in two-liter boots and half-liter mugs include Ayinger Oktoberfest, Wiehenstephaner Festbier, Church Brew Works Oktoberfest, Great Lakes Oktoberfest and Fat Heads Oktoberfest. There will be German food specials and entertainment by the German Music Society brass band directed by Fred Ziwich. The Ohio State versus Wisconsin game is on at 8 p.m.

Tremont Tap House is at 2572 Scranton Road. Phone 216-298-4451.

Sterle’s Slovenian Country House invites you to Oktoberfest in Szemerszky’s Bier Garden on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. Festivities include live music by the Polka Pirates from 2 to 5 p.m. The $40 admission buys a collectible bier mug and all-you-can-drink four Sprecher beer selections, as well as a food buffet with German favorites like sausages, cheese and Bavarian pretzels. There will be Sprecher merchandise giveaways throughout the day.

The Cleveland Flea urban pop-up flea market returns to Sterle’s on Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market includes more than 80 artisans and merchandise vendors, as well as food trucks. Szemerszky’s Bier Garden will be open serving food and beer.

Sterle’s is at 1401 E. 55th St. Call 216-881-4181.

Get your “oompah” on at Baytoberfest, the annual Bay Men’s Club scholarship fundraiser, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Bay Lodge on Bradley Road. The event includes a fantastic German-themed dinner with craft beers and wine, live polka music, a reverse raffle with a chance to win $1,000, a cornhole tournament and a silent auction. Dress is German casual, with lederhosen optional. Tickets are $50 per person. Call 440-829-6467 or visit www.baymensclub.org for information.

The Downtown Lakewood Business Alliance and LakewoodAlive are sponsoring the first Lakewood Wine and Craft Beer Festival on Sept. 28 in the parking garage at 14701 Detroit Ave.

The rain-or-shine event begins with a VIP happy hour from 4 to 5 p.m. General admission is 5 to 10 p.m. Admission includes a World of Beer glass and 15 tasting tickets. Each ticket is good for a 2-ounce wine sample or a 4-ounce beer sample. Additional tickets can be purchased on-site. The Wine and Beer School tent will feature a series of 10 short classes focusing on what is new, traditional or different in today’s wine and beer industry.

Festival tickets are $50 for VIP and $30 for general admission. The event is for those 21 years of age or older. Tickets can be purchased at Rozi’s Wine House, 14900 Detroit Ave., or at the Giant Eagle at 14100 Detroit Ave. Visit www.wineandcraftbeerfestival.com for details.

Take a fall drive to Chez Francois on Oct. 2 for a tasting of nine Oktoberfest beers, paired with a seasonal dinner prepared by chef John D’Amico.

The maltier, darker beers with caramel overtones go well with dishes like cream of Erie County pumpkin soup, and applewood bacon and Gruyere cheese quiche Lorraine. The main entree is banger sausage and root vegetable cassoulet, followed by a dessert of cranberry and apple strudel. Cost for the dinner, which will be served upstairs at Touché and the Parisian Room, is $45 a person plus tax and tip. Phone 440-967-0630 for reservations. Chez Francois is at 555 Main St. in Vermilion.